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What’s Going On With the FDA and Hair Relaxer?

Hair Relaxer |

The FDA schedules its proposed rule for April 2024

In 2022, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) found that regularly using chemical hair relaxers could more than double a woman’s risk of developing uterine cancer. One year later, the Black Women’s Health Study at Boston University published its own research linking hair relaxers to an increased risk of uterine cancer. 

These two studies drew a lot of sudden attention towards the hidden dangers of using hair relaxers. Hundreds of women with uterine cancer began filing lawsuits against popular hair relaxer brands, and medical experts expressed their concern about how some chemical straightening products could release a known carcinogen called formaldehyde when heated. 

Then in October 2023, the Food and Drug Administration revealed that it would propose a ban on all hair relaxers sold in the U.S. that contained formaldehyde-releasing chemicals by April 2024. According to the FDA’s proposed rule abstract—which has not been finalized—the agency has been receiving inquiries from consumers and salon professionals about the safety of hair relaxers containing formaldehyde since the late 2000s.

The proposed rule would only ban hair relaxers containing formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing chemicals from being sold in the U.S., not all chemical hair relaxer products on the market.

The FDA delays its ban proposal… again and again

As the spring season came and went, the FDA stayed unexpectedly silent about its proposal, eventually delaying its announcement to July 2024. The federal agency didn’t share the specific reason why it missed its own deadline, but told several news outlets that it was “still developing the proposed rule.”
Then, when it was time for the FDA’s rescheduled announcement in July, the agency delayed the proposal a second time to September 2024. Once again, the FDA did not explain why the proposal was delayed, but a spokesperson told news outlets that “the rulemaking process takes time.”

Not satisfied with the agency’s sudden lack of action, three U.S. House Representatives sent a letter in August demanding that the FDA explain why the proposal was delayed for so long. The FDA did not publicly respond to the House members’ inquiry, and the agency once again failed to release its proposed rule by its September 2024 deadline.

So will hair relaxers with formaldehyde ever be banned?

With how many times the FDA has delayed its proposed ban on hair relaxers containing formaldehyde-releasing chemicals, some advocacy groups are concerned that the ban will be delayed indefinitely. But for now, the agency has quietly moved back its announcement date to March 2025, delaying its proposed ban for the third time.

Though it’s likely that the proposed rule will be pushed back again in March, the FDA will have a hard time remaining silent as legal pressure continues to grow against dozens of hair relaxer brands. As of January 2025, over 10,000 women have sued major beauty companies like L’Oreal and Revlon with claims that using hair relaxers caused them to develop uterine cancer. 

How to join the hair relaxer lawsuit

If you recently developed uterine cancer, you may be eligible to join the lawsuit and help pressure the FDA to finally take action against the use of formaldehyde in hair relaxers. Take our quick 60-second hair relaxer evaluation to see if you may be eligible for a settlement.

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